A.N: This chapter wasn't beta read.

= Chapter XIX =

Hiss this Destiny?

"I can't live without you, it has to be you
No matter how much I think about it, it's you for me
I don't want to regret, I love you
Cause you are the only one
You're the only one for me"

Only one for me - BtoB

“I won't hurt her.” As if reading his thoughts Jonghyun explained “After all, I could never hurt the woman that the gods fated to be with me.”

Jinki narrowed his eyes and shifted his body dangerously closer to Jonghyun, a silent threat on his eyes, and Hyejin looked from him to Jonghyun unable to comprehend what was happening.

“What?” The words came out from Jinki’s lips but his voice sounded unnatural, almost inhuman which made her swallow hard. Jinki was always gentle to her and she realized she never really saw him being aggressive, the only exception being the night he saved her. However Jinki wasn't entirely human, he was strong and a man.

Jonghyun didn't even blink, his eyes on Jinki’s with no sign of wanting to go back on his words or even explain them.

“What is happening here?” Minho’s voice behind Hyejin was the breath of fresh air needed and she looked at him almost begging for help. He was apparently the only human male of the three of them but maybe they would listen to him since it seemed as if neither Jinki nor Jonghyun remembered that she was there.

The sound of voices around them made Jinki and Jonghyun look around. Two teenage students and a couple more people were watching Jonghyun with interest and some even were taking pictures. The singer blinked his eyes and grimaced and his ready to attack stance was gone.

“We can’t talk here.” He said his eyes moved from Jinki briefly to Hyejin, this time warmer. “Too many people know me and you better than anyone understands how my identity must be kept a secret.” Hyejin suddenly felt silly, Jinki would never attack anyone out there in broad daylight with many people around. Her worries were ridiculous but they did seem very angry with each other, almost territorial. Her cheeks got hotter when she realized Jinki was territorial about her like an animal would be about a female, about the one he wanted to mate with. It was a very primitive way to put it and maybe disgusting for some women but it was arousing to her since she knew he didn't saw her as only a female or a way to get . He loved her and his possessiveness came from love and was healthy.

She raised her eyes to Jinki and he also seemed to relax and nodded to Jonghyun.

“You want to know who I am and why I know Hyejin, don't you? I don't mind explaining to you as long as we're somewhere private.”

“My apartment is closeby.”

Hyejin stared at him. How could he invite someone he barely knew and potentially dangerous to his house. It was true he didn't live there now and her house was his house now. She warmed with the thought. That was probably why he didn't care.

“Very well.” Jonghyun sighed and then his head turned towards a group of fans filming him. He smiled at them before looking back at Hyejin. It was surprising how his mood seemed to change so drastically but his smile didn't seem fake. “Can you give me the address and I’ll meet you there?” He was looking at her but his questions were directed at Jinki who answered him with a cold voice. Hyejin looked at Jonghyun almost hypnotized and then tore her eyes away and to the ground feeling guilty. She knew Jinki was watching and he could taste her feelings and even though she seemed to have a connection to that strange man and even a degree of attraction she didn't feel love or any kind of strong bond to him like she did towards Jinki. Hopefully, he could taste that. “She will be there, right?”

She looked up and Jonghyun’s warm eyes made her look away again but this time to Jinki. He was watching her as she suspected and her cheeks warmed up.

“Of course. This is about her after all.”

She wanted to protest that she was there and could make decisions for herself but she barely understood what was happening and she wanted to be there too, she had to.

Jonghyun nodded “Will you come with me, in my car, Hyejin?”

She blinked her eyes wondering if he was insane. Everyone was watching and his fans would freak out if she entered the same car as he. Besides no way in hell was she going to travel with a stranger, someone possibly dangerous, and not with her boyfriend.

“She is going with me!” Jinki said possessively and she stepped closer to him.

Jonghyun didn't move and he clearly wasn’t changing his mind so Minho stepped forward.

“Why don't we let her decide.” That made both men look at her and she felt the tension and pressure. Jonghyun would probably accept her decision and Minho knew. He seemed gentle towards her so if she played her game well he wouldn’t force her to go with him.

“I want to go with Jinki!” There was no doubt in her decision and yet she felt guilty “I’m sorry.”

Jinki flinched beside her and her eyes moved to him immediately. He looked at her hurt and she bit her lower lip. She did choose him though.

“It's fine.” Jonghyun's lips parted into a genuine beautiful gentle smile “We will meet soon.”

She watched him go back to his car, his driver opened the door for him and the singer sat on the backseat, the sound of fans screaming his name being completely ignored by him. His eyes did not waver from her even when the door closed. She couldn't see him because of the tinted windows of the car but she could feel it and it sent shivers down her back. She couldn't describe what she felt, it wasn't good nor bad, just familiar.

Jinki snorted beside her and then walked back to his car. She rushed to follow him hating that he was turning his back on her. It made her feel very far away from him. Minho followed after them and he smiled at her from outside the window while she placed her seatbelt on. Jinki’s car smelled good and she could see he cleaned it only to give her a ride. He didn't look as excited as he was before. Not a hint of a smile on his face and he only looked at Minho without a word.

“This is the guy I told you about.”

“What guy?” Hyejin asked even though Minho’s words were directed at Jinki who nodded without speaking.

“The one who came searching for you before. I knew he was bad news. Just be careful. Should I come with you?”

“No.” Jinki's answer was short and emotionless and Hyejin clutched the seat belt scared. That wasn't the man she knew, he was closer to who he was when he was hurt and she was nursing him, his animal side, something was wrong with him. “He won't attack.”

Minho’s eyes set on Hyejin and he nodded. Jonghyun wouldn't hurt her, he did say that but that didn't mean he wouldn't attack Jinki. Her boyfriend couldn't be stupid to think that she didn't care about that.

Minho stepped back and Jinki started the engine. He drove carefully as if they didn't have anyone waiting for him, respecting the speed limits and if it wasn't for his hand clutching the wheel once in a while she wouldn't notice that he was upset.

“This guy.” He said after a while and she pressed her lips together. He could taste every emotion, he knew she was tense and worried. “You didn't tell me about him and apparently you are….close.” The last word came out with disdain and she stared at him.

“So you can keep secrets and I can't?”

He growled and she saw the muscles of his arms tense up when he gripped the wheel “I'm not meeting other women behind your back!”

As if she was cheating on him!

“No, you only lie so you can claim my ity in a ceremony that means nothing to you!”

He stared at her, his eyes flickering with pain and she regretted her words.

“No, I didn't mean it…” She touched his arm but he looked away and his eyes stayed on the road for the rest of the way.

She chewed the inside of her cheek and even though he was pretending not to listen to her she said the words “I didn't mean it because I would have given it to you either way.”

She loved him and he could taste it. He knew she wasn't lying.

He his lips and she laid back on the seat trying to calm down her uneasiness. A part of her was saying that this was only the beginning of the end. Maybe this was where her fairytale story ended, maybe her vision was approaching sooner than expected.

“The one the gods fated for me.” Jinki mumbled and her gaze moved to him. He wasn't talking to her, he was only repeating the words Jonghyun spoke. It bothered him and her heart beat faster. Jinki was jealous and he had a reason to. She traced the scar on her wrist. Hyejin didn't care what Jonghyun said. No one, not even the gods would tear her apart from Jinki. They were one and would be until her dying breath.

Jinki sat on the two-seater couch beside Hyejin giving no space for Jonghyun to sit and he had to choose the armchair beside it. He looked around and Jinki could see him studying his living room, trying to take some clues about who Jinki was from it. He wouldn't get anything because that apartment was empty for years now.

“So?” Jinki wasn't going to play the polite role, they were there for one reason only. “Why did you come searching for Hyejin?”

“I heard about her when she was young, a little girl actually.”

“You said you met me when I was a teenager?” She spoke beside Jinki no hint of fear coming for her and it bothered him once again. She seemed too relaxed beside that man and earlier he tasted a weird emotion coming from her and it scared him. It wasn’t unpleasant, it was something he couldn't truly describe, and the worst thing was that Jonghyun could taste it too. Jinki knew who he was, he was a freaking wolf, a Wolf Earth God. Like him he could hear her heart, he could taste her emotions, he felt thirsty for her blood and body fluids. He was a monster like Jinki was.

“That was our first physical encounter. I confess I had no idea who you were back then, but I realized after when I remembered your smell. ”

“My smell…” Sometimes she forgot who Jinki was, who monsters like he and Jonghyun were, he knew that. She was too comfortable around Jinki and that was a mistake.

“When you were a small kid my father saved you.”

Jinki frowned and Jonghyun chuckled. “I didn't introduce myself, I'm sorry. My name is Kim Jonghyun, I'm not only a singer, but I'm also the son of the wolf clan chief. Just like you Jinki, I will follow my father's footsteps. I've heard you are facing some...difficulties convincing your people to support you.” The words meant to hurt his pride but Jinki didn't even flinch “Mine will follow me through hell!”

Jinki smirked, “I doubt the Lord of Darkness would accept you as a guest, he isn't the most inviting host.”

Jonghyun’s eyes filled with amusement and before he replied Hyejin moved beside Jinki, leaning forward.

“You said your father saved me?” She wasn't convinced.

“Yes, from two Bulgaes. My father and a man from your clan saved you. They were ordered by the gods to do so.”

“Ordered?!” Hyejin was pale and confused, Jonghyun’s story making no sense to her but Jinki tensed. Hyejin’s dreams, the bulgae that attacked them before, it made more sense if what Jonghyun was saying was true.

“When I was 7 years old, the number of perfection, I did my initiation. Usually, wolves are given by the gods a duty they take their life trying to fulfill. Usually is taking care of his family, procreating for the good of our species, others protect our territory, our nature, but others have special specific tasks. Mine is special. He bent forward and his eyes moved to Hyejin’s hand on her lap. Jinki eyed him, his heart beating on his throat but Jonghyun didn't make a gesture to grab her hand. Jinki feared what he would do if he did, what he would feel if Hyejin accepted it.

“Hyejin, when I was seven my father gave me one of your soft toys, your smell all over it. It was the gods' wish for me to memorize that smell, for me to search for you, protect you! I've spent the past years seeking desperately for you, fearing I failed my calling! ”

“Me?” She touched her chest and laughed incredulously “This makes no sense at all!”

“Why?” Jinki asked Jonghyun.

Jonghyun furrowed his brow as if the question made no sense “Why?! Because she is meant to be mine, my beloved.”

Hyejin shook her head beside Jinki and his gaze moved to her. He couldn't help but feel betrayed even if it wasn't her fault. Was what Jonghyun said true?! He never wanted to believe in faith before but he wasn't a fool. If it was her destiny to be Jonghyun’s, if the gods decided it then...

He didn't even want to think about it.

“I’m not!” Hyejin said even though her voice trembled.

“Fate is something made up by the clans to justify circumstances they don't have control over.” That was Jinki's rational side speaking and he hoped he was right.

Jonghyun chuckled “I've heard about you. The white-furred one. I've heard how you want to bring the actual modern world and tradition together. Of course, you don't believe in fate because you want to believe that you can change yours.” The words hit Jinki where it hurt the most and his chin tightened. Jonghyun didn't have to study his apartment, he knew his weakness already. “I’ve heard of you since a young age, about the legends tied to the tiger with white fur. In my clan being a white wolf is good. I’m white of course.” He smirked running a hand on his blonde hair “But in yours, oh in yours it isn't. In yours, it comes with promises of war, of tragedy, of blood. Your fate is a dark one!”

“No!” Hyejin’s voice was firm this time and she stood up from the couch her face red with anger. It filled Jinki’s mouth in an almost unbearable way and he was certain Jonghyun could taste it too. “NO! His fur represents renovation, good, light, protection, and perfection! It's the color of the gods and his fate won't be a dark one at all, you are wrong!”

Jinki’s eyes fell to his wrist. It was throbbing slightly and a small sparkle of electricity ran through. His fingers moved to it and he touched the scar he shared with Hyejin, it was warm. She was burning with energy talking highly about him and he could feel it in his body. It was sweet and made his chest full, it made him stronger. It was the effects of the marking, the bond between them. If the gods didn't want her to be his then why didn't they stop the marking?! Why were they that cruel?

“You marked her.” Jonghyun’s eyes flashed with anger matching the accusatory tone of his voice. He didn't wait for the answer and instead grabbed Hyejin’s wrist to see the scar in it. Jinki growled pushing her away from his hold and stepping in front of her. She was his, for now, and until the gods ripped her from him or she decided to leave on her own he wouldn't let anyone hurt her.

“I’ve heard about it but I thought it was a rumor that your traditional clan would never accept it. How could you be so cruel and tie an innocent woman to a bloody fate?!”

“I asked for it!” Hyejin jumped in “I wanted it. It's my fate and it's not a bloody one. I know that I belong by his side!” Her words made Jinki tingle with love and pride and he desperately wished it was true. Maybe her visions were wrong, maybe they misunderstand them.

“You are wrong Hyejin,” Jonghyun’s eyes flashed with pain and his voice was only gentleness “You are blinded by the poison his blood has. I know it. It also runs in my veins!”

“It's not that. He never tried to seduce me in that way, I love him and even before he fed from me, even before the oath.”

“You---you fed from her?” The gentleness was gone and cold eyes settled on Jinki again. “I heard you didn't take humans to feed and you were a good man but maybe my sources were wrong.”

“They weren't, Jinki he is…”

“Stop!” Jinki grabbed her arm making Hyejin's words die on her lips. He gently caressed her skin ignoring the familiar electricity between their bodies. “I can speak for myself.” he took a deep breath and turned to Jonghyun “I don't care what you think of me but I truly love Hyejin and nothing I did was intending to hurt her. She loves me and as long as she wants to be with me I won't let anyone take her. We made an oath and nothing can change that now. So what do you plan to do?”

Hyejin stared at Jinki in wonder and he could taste the admiration in her. Taemin always said that he was a leader, that he had a charisma and power in him that no one could overcome. He rarely believed in himself but if Hyejin was beside him tasting like that every time he opened his mouth to speak in front of his clan then he knew he could do it.

“I guess I have to kill you then!”

Hyejin grasped Jinki’s arm fearful for him but neither Jinki nor Jonghyun moved.

“No….no.” She stepped in front of Jinki but none seemed to notice her again. She stared from one to another. Jinki’s eyes were dangerously blue and Jonghyun’s were the same color too. She gasped suddenly touching her wrist and her body swayed as if she was losing strength. Jinki grabbed her by her waist before her legs gave in and pulled her against his chest safely. She panted against him, blinking her eyes while he held her.

“I don't know what is wrong with me!” that was the wrong moment to feel dizzy and sick.

“It's the oath.” Jonghyun explained “Your life energy is moving towards him.”

Minho had explained to her the basics of it, but not even Earth Gods understood perfectly how it worked so for a human as her it made even less sense.

Jinki caressed her back and his eyes slowly came back to normal. He was trying hard not to gather energy so he wouldn't take it from her, instead, he tried to give it back to Hyejin. They were new to that link between them, they couldn't control it perfectly and she was weak, she was human. If he wasn't careful he could drain her and kill her and it scared him.

Jonghyun chuckled sadly “You should never have marked her.”

“No.” She smiled her cheeks starting to gain some color, even though she felt almost as if she was drunk. She was confused and light headed. “No, I wanted it and I don't regret it.” She moved a hand over Jinki’s chest to his heart and smiled so adorably he would have kissed her if they were alone “When I was dizzy I could hear your heartbeat, I could feel it in me, inside me.” She confessed as if that was the best thing ever as if it matched the moment he was inside her during , the same level of love and intimacy they reached then. It made his chest burst with love. “Do you think I can taste your emotions in the future too?”

He wasn't sure but that wasn't the moment to think about it and he didn't want to find out too. He was too scared to experiment with their bound. Even if she wasn't used to it, if only a few seconds made her body react like that he couldn't even imagine minutes.

“I can't kill you.” Jonghyun stated and Hyejin turned to look at him, her expression still in a daze as if she was slightly intoxicated.

“You will hurt her.” Jinki completed. If he killed him Hyejin could die too. They were one now.

“I can't do that, I can't risk her life!” Hyejin’s gaze moved from one man to the other as if she could barely hear them.

“Hyejin?” Jinki’s soft voice made her smile widely as if it was a melody she loved “What are you feeling? Do you want to lay down?”

“No, I'm fine, here.” She hugged him tightly, filled with love, and Jinki saw Jonghyun tense in front of him. He didn't plan any of that but it was good he saw how she loved him, that he knew he wasn't lying about her feelings. They were true on the contrary to what he said. Jinki never used his “poison” on her, at least not willingly.

“You really care for her.” Jinki could see it in Jonghyun’s expression.

“Yes, and I won't give up. I'll find a way!”

“I understand.” That wasn't a competition but Jinki couldn't push Jonghyun out of the way. If it was her fate to be with Jonghyun there was nothing Jinki could do after all. “I didn't want to mark her.” He added not because he had to explain it to him but because he wanted Jonghyun to understand what kind of person she was “She is very stubborn. She followed after me, she did everything for my clan to accept it. I gave in, I only want to make her happy.”

Jonghyun smiled genuinely, a look of understanding passed between them, and both men looked at her tenderly.

“I'm feeling better.” She stated but didn't release Jinki. “You can stop speaking as if I'm not here.” She pushed away from his chest and Jinki held her by her elbow, eyeing her careful. She looked at Jonghyun with a guarded expression. She wasn't scared but she was careful around him now.

“I'm not going to hurt you Hyejin. Like Jinki I want to protect you. I told you it's my calling.” He stepped back “I need to go now, but I'm sure you have more questions. I'm not sure I can answer all of them but I'll keep in touch.” he hesitated “I am supposed to be by your side at all times but I know the feline will protect you too.” He didn't seem pleased about it but that was the truth “ I'll contact you.”

He nodded at Hyejin and then left. When the door of Jinki’s apartment closed he sat back on the couch and pulled Hyejin to the seat beside him. She watched him for a few seconds and then her head.

“What the hell just happened?”

Jinki chuckled, rubbing his eyes tired. That conversation took years of his life.

“Jinki please talk to me.” She grabbed his hand and he looked at her reading her emotions. He wasn't supposed to but he was so tired and that was easier. She was worried and probably still thinking about their argument in the car. Nothing of that mattered, not even the fact that Jonghyun was trying to claim her as his soulmate or some of the sort. Yes, he was jealous, yes he was wondering if marking her wasn't a mistake but what truly mattered was the story he told.

“You were attacked by bulgaes, twice.” Jinki could see in her expression that she completely forgot about that part. He laughed, the stress completely leaving his body because she was too cute. She was so troubled trying to defend him and the bond they shared that she completely ignored that.

“Why are you laughing? It's not even funny!” She mumbled and he the couch and kissed . It was sudden and she wasn't expecting because she gasped against his lips and even though he was aggressive, using his body to push her down on the couch, his tongue lavishing , his lips slowly softened against hers. The memory of how she looked at him dizzy, how she stood up for him, and hugged him tight made his heart want to explode. He would have taken her but other things were worrying him. Later, maybe...

He pulled away and she slowly sat back, her lips red and puffed and very distracting.

“It was only a dream, I'm sure Jonghyun is wrong!” She said after a while, her brain slowly going back to review what has been said. It was a lot to take in.

Jinki shook his head “Normal babies aren't attacked by bulgaes, humans don't dream with them if they never saw one.”

She widened her eyes knowing that he was right. Jinki squeezed her hand “Let's go, let's go home.”

He had a lot of thinking to do.

The ride back home was as silent as the one to his apartment. Hyejin tried to speak to Jinki once they left the apartment but he shut her out saying he had to think. It annoyed her how he was ignoring her during the conversation with Jonghyun and now it made her even more furious that he kept doing it. Hyejin was sure he was still upset with her even though they kissed after Jonghyun left. The kiss wasn't filled with tenderness like the usual, it was rough, almost desperate and she once again wished she could taste his emotions or at least read his heartbeat. She barely remembered what happened when the link between them started to work, but she clearly remembered how she felt his heart pulsating inside her. It made her warm, and it was almost arousing but in a weird way. She felt as one with him, and according to what Minho told her if she learned to control it she would be able to perceive what he felt, to read his emotions. Of course, that also meant she would feel them, even the painful ones.

Hyejin knew that Jinki would never accept to practice the control of the link with her but she still would try in the future as soon as things calmed down. Not only because she wanted to be closer to him but also because it could help him in the future. Before that, she bit her lower lip, they had this whole Jonghyun situation to figure out.

If her dreams were in fact real then why did her mother lie to her when she asked her about it? And whose blood was on the floor that night? And why in heaven would the hounds go after her to kill her? She was human, even Jonghyun said so. She touched her chest uneasy. The blood on the floor could only be her father's then, but he couldn't have died back then, he couldn't because she had memories of him from later, days before he left.

So maybe the hounds were after him instead and she was collateral damage, which meant that he probably ran away to protect her. She sniffed feeling the familiar trickle of tears in her eyes and Jinki’s eyes moved to her.

“What's wrong?” He asked worried, his eyes moving from the road to her and back.

“What if my father was the one they wanted, what if he ran away because he was dangerous for me, then if he never came back maybe…” Maybe he was dead, caught by the hounds.

Jinki’s eyes moved to the road again and stayed there. He didn't say anything and Hyejin sniffed.

“That's a possibility.” He had thought about it before, she was sure of it but wasn't sharing his deliberations with her. “But then why attack you if their target is dead already?”

Hyejin her lips “Because they want him to come back for me, to catch his attention!”

Jinki smiled “Smart girl!” His praise made her heart beat faster and she didn't care that he could hear it. Anything coming from him after how he has been the last couple of hours was a blessing.

“So he cares about me?”

“Doesn't he? You only spoke great things about him and you never believed he abandoned you from lack of affection towards you.”

That was true, she never wanted to believe that.

Jinki parked by the stairs that lead up to her apartment and both hoped out. He walked to the stairs but she tugged at his arm stopping him. She was tired of that unbearable distance between them. It wasn't only physical but also emotional, he was upset with her and she could feel it to her core.

“I'm worried.”

“Worried? With your father?”

“No…” She stared at his eyes that looked blankly back at her, so different from his usual gentle ones. “You look different.”

Jinki’s lips twitched slightly and he looked away, grabbing the handrail of the stairs. “I told you that we had to know each other better. There are many sides of me you still don't know well.”

“No, it's not only that. You are mad with me.” She climbed on the step and stood in front of him, slightly taller than him. He looked up at her eyes and she studied them for a sign of fury blue but there was nothing.

“I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself mostly and that singer and towards you I am…”

She chewed on her lip and Jinki sighed “It's not important right now. We need to think about our next step, analyze your dreams…”

She stepped down making him walk back so that she had space in front of him which went against her desire to be closer to him.

“My dreams can be only dreams though.”

“Your dream is real Hyejin.” He seemed very certain.

“ I asked my mom about it before, remember? If it was real she would have told me.”

“People lie, humans omit things all the time.” His teeth clenched and she knew he meant her.

“Are you saying my mother lied to me? And tigers do omit things too!”

Jinki groaned and stepped aside to pass her by but she stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

“You are right.” Hyejin gave in “But why? Why kill me or my dad?”

Jinki narrowed his eyes thinking “I don't know, but we need to find out. We have three leads right now, Jonghyun, your mother, and the man from my clan Jonghyun mentioned.”

“The one who saved me...ah…” She widened her eyes “The Shaman...he told me he had to save someone - a little girl - when he was younger.” She covered “M-my dreams are real!”

She panicked, the hypotheses became too close to facts now. It was silly how things like that still surprised her when she made a blood oath with a creature that wasn't fully human.

Jinki wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tenderness filled his eyes, her worries hauling down with the force of his gentle smile she missed.

“Let's go up and discuss this better.”

Hyejin nodded and let him guide her upstairs but his body tensed up as soon as they reached the door to their house. A woman was leaning against the door, in the darkness. She stepped away from the door when she saw them and they could see her familiar wavy auburn hair and hazel eyes.

“Haneul?” Hyejin moved from Jinki hold “What are you doing here?”

“Do you know where Minho lives?” She asked, pulling her long black coat around her body. “I need to find him.”

“We do…”

“What is wrong with everyone today?!” Jinki groaned interrupting and instead typed the code of the door “Come in!” It was an order not a request and Hyejin furrowed her brow at him but followed after Haneul into the house.

Jinki cursed under his breath while he the lights and took off his shoes and Hyejin watched him. That rough side of him was kinda attractive even though it made her want to argue with him.

Haneul’s eyes stirred around the room with mild curiosity and Hyejin was grateful that Jinki cleaned the house that morning. The woman was beautiful, her skin looked like porcelain and her hazel eyes and dark eyeliner made her look like a doll. Didn't help that she was wearing a dark blue and black dress with frills on the long sleeves and the collar that fit close to her body revealing the small curves of her s and then spread out around her legs down to her knees. She looked out of place in their house, as if a character jumped out from an imaginary world inside a book into a real boring Seoul house.

“Why do you need to see Minho?” Hyejin asked but Jinki waved his hand dismissively.

“That's not important now and you need to go back. The old man must be extremely worried about you and you know you can't leave the house.”

Hyejin couldn't believe him, he didn't even want to hear what she had to say.

“You can't be serious? What if Minho is in danger and she came to warn him?”

“He isn't in danger!” Both Haneul and Jinki spoke at the same time and Hyejin’s skin flushed.

“But I'm not going back!” Haneul added immediately “ I'm not a prisoner at my grandfather's house. I only stayed there until now because I didn't know where I was supposed to be and now I do.”

Jinki made a sound with his tongue “You aren't a prisoner but you know exactly the risk you are taking by leaving the protection of our clan.”

“Danger?!” Hyejin blinked her eyes.

“My father's family and my brother are Earth God Hunters. For years they ignored my existence believing that I was a full Earth God but since I became a woman they have shown interest in me.”

“They captured some members of our clan. The ones who survived informed us that they asked about her and through them, they learned she has no powers.”

“They want me.” Haneul explained almost emotionlessly. “To love or to kill I don't know.”

“This is why you are going back. I'm driving you back tonight!” Jinki stated.

“But Jinki can't we wait until tomorrow and then make a decision?” Minho was in love with Haneul, Hyejin knew that now and he should at least be warned of her presence there.

“No. It's final!” Jinki persisted “I already have you to protect!” He spoke as if it was her fault all that happened recently. He was still blaming her for not telling him about Jonghyun.

“I didn't know I was such a burden to you!” She snapped, “Maybe Jonghyun won't mind protecting me and then you are free to go and seduce other women to mark!”

Jinki narrowed his eyes, anger flashing in them, and his hand moved at his side, fingers curling. Hyejin bit her lower lip and her expression softened. He knew she didn't mean it, they were just constantly hurting each other because they were so jealous, hurt with the lack of trust between them.

“I'm going to call your grandfather!” Jinki announced his eyes shifting to Haneul. He didn't even look at Hyejin before he disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“I'm sorry.” Haneul whispered. “He is upset because I came. I didn't mean to bring you trouble.”

“No, it's not your fault trust me. He is upset about something else. Why are we whispering?”

“Earth Gods can hear really well.”

Hyejin nodded. Haneul didn't want him to hear their conversation.

“He is jealous too.” Haneul pointed out hazel eyes settling on the closed door of the bedroom.

“You can taste his feelings?” She supposedly didn't have any powers.

“No. I just know. Ever since you came to my house, or maybe a little before that I started having this...hunches about things.”

Hyejin nodded not clearly understanding. Haneul was weird and in the beginning, she freaked her out a lot but now she felt safe around her.

“He is very jealous and worried. He doesn't want to lose you.”

Her words made Hyejin very happy. “A man today told him that I was his soulmate. The one destined to be with him. So he must be upset about it.”

Haneul’s eyes sparkled and her lips moved into a strange smile “You are not, he is wrong. You and Jinki belong together! Its what is meant to be.”

Hyejin approached Haneul and grabbed her hand. “You really think so?” it made her feel so much better that someone else was saying it, someone, that seemed so sure about it.

“I don't think, I'm certain.” her eyes fell on Hyejin’s hand holding hers, and Hyejin pulled it away. “I won't hurt you. I only feel protectiveness towards you.” Haneul declared smiling at Hyejin this time an honest gentle smile. “You are scared of me.”

“Not scared, just…”

“I'm weird.”

Hyejin’s eyes moved to her clothes again. She wasn't one to judge but she was indeed different.

“You don't fit the average woman...person...image.”

“It’s not my looks. I can change them. I don't care what I wear but the rest it's because I am not normal, at least not lately.” Haneul declared “But when I am with Minho I am normal as I can be.”

Hyejin smiled, she wasn't like Haneul, far from it, but she also felt her most normal self when she was with Jinki. He was the only one with whom she could be her "moon" self and he didn't seem to mind. “You came for him, you have feelings for Minho?”

“I’m supposed to be with him.” Haneul was certain as she was that Jinki and Hyejin were the real thing.

“You love him!” The older woman celebrated “And he loves you!”

“I know that my grandfather won't understand and that he is worried but I know I must be with Minho. That is my faith.”

Faith, destiny, she never heard the words being used so much as she did that day. Jinki would never let Haneul stay. He had a soft heart but he was a man and he always thought about safety before giving in to emotions. Besides if Haneul told him that it was her faith he would freak out after all that happened that day. Hyejin touched the scar on her wrist, something that was becoming a habit. She made her decision and grabbed a piece of paper from her bookshelf. She quickly wrote the address from the palace and gave it to Haneul.

“Give this to a taxi driver and he will take you to Minho. He always stays until late but just in case I'll text him to wait for you.”

Haneul’s eyes moved to the bedroom where Jinki was “He is going to be upset with you.”

“He already is but he will understand. Sometimes for love, we must take risks. Just be careful! Promise me you will call if things go wrong. You can stay here too, for as long as you want.”

She was sure Minho would take care of Haneul but just in case it was better if she had a place to go back to.

Haneul nodded and Hyejin opened the door for her to leave. She quickly texted Minho and when she raised her eyes from her phone Jinki came out from the bedroom.

He didn't seem surprised that she was alone and Hyejin narrowed her eyes wondering if he did it on purpose so that she could send Haneul to him without his consent so she would take the blame in front of the Shaman.

He frowned and she crossed her arms in front of her chest believing more and more that that was the case.

“I don't even need to ask.” He mumbled.

“She loved him and they belong together.”

“Belong together...this is not a fairytale Hyejin. I know it sounds like one when it comes to people like me and Haneul existing but this is real life and there are no happy endings.”

“I know. But there are happy lives with ups and downs. I'm not settling for anything less.”

He sighed leaning his head against the doorframe.

“You don't have to protect her. Minho will.”

“That's what I fear.”

Her expression softened. He was worried that Minho could get hurt too. It was amazing how they went from enemies fighting for the same girl to friends.

“They will be ok. We can’t make decisions for them. I've done crazier things for you. Did you call the Shaman?”

Jinki nodded and looked away before he entered the bedroom. Hyejin followed after him and watched how he undressed and stood only in his underwear.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting ready for bed.” he slept though. If he was keeping his underwear on then that only meant he was pushing her away and blocking any possible y time. As if a piece of clothing would keep her away. “You should sleep too. Tomorrow we must go and visit your mother!”

“What? We didn't call her to say we would show up.”

“Better like that. If she is hiding something she won't run away!”

She bit her lower lip frustrated. He was acting as if she was a person they couldn't trust. She had her flaws, and she surely didn't love her like a mother should love a daughter or like she loved her brother, but she raised her and she never lifted a hand on her or mistreated her in any way.

“I need to call Minho to tell him I won't go to work again.”

“I'll call him in the morning I need to speak to him about Haneul.”

Jinki was right, it was better to let him in peace with Haneul that night.

He pulled the covers of the bed down and then laid under them, his eyes on the ceiling.

Hyejin watched him for a few seconds but he didn't say anything and only moved his arm under his head to support it while he stared into nothing.

“I'm going to shower.” Hyejin announced.

He didn't even move and she groaned frustrated.

Minho stared at the text Hyejin sent him. It was short and random. It only said for him to wait in front of the palace. He tried to call her but no one picked up and he was worried something happened either to her or Jinki, or both. He didn't know what happened after they met Jonghyun, Jinki only texted him to say they were alright and he would call him later to explain but until now he didn't know more.

It was true that he was only human and weak and probably couldn't help them in any way but still he would do anything he could if they allowed him.

A car passed by and Minho followed it with his eyes. The street was almost deserted since there were no bars or open stores in that part of the neighborhood. It was mostly targeted towards tourists and the fancy coffee shops they used to visit were now empty and closed for the day. His eyes moved to the night sky. Usually, it was harder to see the stars due to the pollution of Seoul but that night the sky was clean and a few could be seen twinkling here and there. The moon was bright too, not as bright as it was on the night he shared with Haneul. Thinking of her made his chest tighten. He wondered how she was and for a couple times, he tried to make excuses to visit her grandfather so that he could see her again.

She probably would avoid him. Her disappearance the next morning after they made love filled him with sorrow. Did she regret it? Was it only for her? He smiled weakly to himself. He sounded like the female protagonist of a lame romance.

A taxi passed by and Minho slipped his hands inside his coat pocket, his fingers freezing. The taxi stopped on the other side of the road and a woman wearing a long black coat came out. Even if he couldn't see her face blocked by the taxi he was sure it wasn't Hyejin. Her hair was curly unlike Hyejin’s. It was similar to Haneul’s.

The realization made him blink his eyes and Minho moved from his spot in front of the gate so that he could try and see behind the taxi. Once the car moved he stood with wide eyes.

The woman who haunted his dreams, who was on his mind for most of his day was on the other side of the road looking straight at him.

She looked exactly like she did the first time he saw her. Her clothes weren't the same but very similar and her skin seemed pale under the streetlamp light.

Her lips moved and he narrowed his eyes stepping closer to the road to try and read them but he failed. If she was speaking to him she was doing it in a very low tone that did not reach him.

Her lips parted into a huge smile and he found himself smiling back. She came to him. His heart started hammering in his chest and Minho’s head moved to each side of the road to see if he could cross safely. He never did since she was already running in his direction without giving a glance to a possible car coming her way. Minho swallowed worried but she was fast and once she was a few steps away she jumped colliding against him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

He held her to him, losing his balance and swaying with her in his arms. Haneul giggled against his ear and he laughed too.

She grasped the fabric of his coat and held onto him as if something was trying to tear her apart from him and Minho hugged her even tighter.

“You came for me.” It wasn't a question but it was still filled with doubt as if that couldn't be true.

“I belong here.” Haneul said burying her nose on his neck making Minho gasp of need and affection.

She didn't mean Seoul and he knew it, he felt it deep down on his chest. She belonged in his arms with him.

He loved Hyejin and he desired her, of course he did, but it never came to that insane need of touching, protecting, and possessiveness he felt towards Haneul. She confused him like no one ever did and he was sure there were much more of her to find out but he didn't mind taking the time to do it. He has spent weeks seeing Hyejin cry for Jinki, suffering for love and he thought he understood then but he was so wrong. Only now was he slowly figuring it out what it meant to want, to care for someone so much it physically hurt, so much you are willing to give up a part of yourself, to give your heart to that person.

He felt her smile against his skin and even though there was so much to say he didn't let go of her.

Haneul was happy. Not only was she with the only person who always saw her real self, the only person beside her grandfather and brother that she truly cared about, but she was also sure more than ever that she had a sixth sense. Her father did well disposing of her because she wasn't human at all. She felt things in her. It started a few weeks before Minho came into her life.

She used to spend her days hiding from others, lost in her books and daydreams, lost in the pain of not belonging anywhere. Too ordinary to be an Earth God, too weird to be human.

Things slowly changed. First, it came with the dreams of a woman she never saw before. It was only her profile and her eyes looking straight at her as if she was trying to say something and then the weird feeling that someone was coming for her.

Then Hyejin and Minho arrived at her grandfather's step. She watched hidden, how her grandfather spoke to them and the realization that Hyejin was the woman of her dreams didn't scare her. She had a purpose, she wasn't sure what it was and even now she had no idea. But she knew she had to keep an eye on the woman. And then Minho…

She memorized every trace of his face when he fell asleep in the library, and when they kissed for the first time her heart woke up from a deep sleep. He was like a prince. Her mother used to tell her tales of the Gods, how they were so beautiful any creature on Earth couldn't look at their faces, that their beauty would enchant them. Minho was enchanting, like a God. They made love under the moon and she was supposed to let him go but she couldn't. Once he left he took a part of her with him and she knew she would never be complete again. She didn't belong in that house with her grandfather; she had to be with him.

The road they would all follow together would be a painful one. Haneul knew it like she knew Hyejin and Jinki were meant for each other. When Hyejin told her about a man saying that she was his destiny it infuriated her. Yes, Hyejin’s destiny was a mess, tangled between Jinki and another man, she knew that much. That red string was not only wrapped around these two men, it also went around so many other people even Haneul. They were all connected, parts of a game that didn't start yet but soon would. Haneul could almost taste the tears they would cry, the blood that would be spilled, and yet there was nothing they could do besides to keep going forward.

Her meeting with Minho was destined just like Hyejin meeting Jinki and that other man was. What they did from now on wasn't entirely written but if they played the game right things would go well. She knew they could.

Minho moved his cold fingers on her rebellious hair and they touched the skin of her neck. The cold made her shiver.

“We need to go somewhere warm.” he pulled away enough to look at her face and she let herself drown in his beautiful big eyes. When she was with him she no longer wished to be a shadow, she wanted him to see her.

She nodded letting him pull away from her embrace slowly. He grabbed her hand studying her eyes carefully as if he was still worried that she was a flicker of his imagination.

Haneul grasped his fingers in hers and smiled at him with no reserve which seemed to make him happy.

For now and until the game starts they should enjoy their time together.